Onside Footy

26/01/2025

The first-ever manager to win the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.

Happy Birthday Jose Mourinho
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

The 'Special One' turns 6️⃣2️⃣ today.

26/01/2025

Delicate balancing act for Amorim; Stick or Twist?

Read More 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

Fulham Vs Manchester United Preview By: Babatunde Ajibade (Manchester United correspondent) Twitter: ollyzjinx01 Instagram: sir_ajirowo01 Manchester United head to Craven Cottage on Sunday to face Fulham in a clash that looks deceptively simple on paper. Historically, United have dominated this fixt...

26/01/2025

TODAY IN FOOTBALL HISTORY

26 January 2000

ON THIS DAY 25 years ago, China matched what was, at the time, the world's biggest margin of victory in international football, beating Guam 19-0. That record didn't last long, though.

China had held the record for several years after beating the Maldives 17-0 in 1992, but it finally fell when Tahiti got an 18-0 win over American Samoa in June 2000, then Iran pushed the record to 19-0 with a November 2000 win over Guam in a World Cup qualifier. So the Chinese were motivated to reclaim the title when they began their Asian Cup qualification campaign in January 2000.

On the first day for their qualification group, China beat the Philippines 8-0, while Guam lost to Vietnam 11-0. That set the stage for China to make a run at the top score, and run they did.
Playing at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, striker Hao Haidong got the ball rolling with the opening goal in the second minute, the first of four he scored on the day. He was joined on the scoresheet by Qu Shengqing (5), Su Maozhen (3), Yao Xia (2), Li Weifeng, Shen Si, Qi Hong, and Li Tie before Ma Mingyu scored the final goal with ten minutes remaining.

Unfortunately for the Chinese, however, their reign as joint record holders was short, as about three weeks later, Kuwait beat Bhutan 20-0 in another Asian Cup qualifier. Even that number did not hold up for long; Australia set the current record with a 31-0 win over American Samoa on 11 April 2001.

26/01/2025

TODAY IN FOOTBALL HISTORY

26 January 1992

ON THIS DAY 33 years ago, every player on the pitch at the end of extra time in the African Cup of Nations Final got to take a penalty kick as Côte d'Ivoire beat Ghana, 0-0 (11-10) to win their first ever African Cup of Nations title.

Ghana entered the tournaments as favorites, based on the presence of their star midfielder and captain Abedi Pele, the reigning African Player of the Year. He was the team's high scorer through the earlier rounds and provided the match winner against Zambia in the group stage, but was suspended for the final after picking up a second yellow card against Nigeria in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, Côte d'Ivoire advanced to the final on the back of their outstanding defense, having not conceded a single goal in the tournament. On offense, the team was well-balanced, with each of their goals scored by a different player.

In the final, the day's best chance fell to Ghana, as striker Tony Yeboah chipped the ball over keeper Alain Gouaméné and into the path of Ghana midfielder Prince Polley Opoku, but Opoku sent his shot over the bar. The match remained scoreless through extra time, setting up the penalty shootout.

There, the balls flowed into the goal until Ghana's Isaac Asare missed his shot, but Côte d'Ivoire's Joël Tiéhi did the same with the next attempt. The teams went through twelve kickers each, with the last shot taken by Ghana defender Anthony Beffoe. He drove the ball into the waiting hands of Gouaméné to end the match at 0-0 (11-10).

26/01/2025

TODAY IN FOOTBALL HISTORY

26 January 1993

ON THIS DAY 32 years ago, The lowest attendance in Premier League history was recorded when only 3,039 fans turned up to watch Wimbledon versus Everton at Selhurst Park.

Wimbledon who were into the second year of a ground-share deal with Crystal Palace hosted Everton where a brace from Tony Cottee was followed by an Ian Snodin strike while a looping John Fashanu header pulled one back for the Dons.

Come the end of the 1992-3 season Wimbledon would finish above Everton, one point and one place higher in 12th position.

25/01/2025

FT: Valladolid 0 Real Madrid 3
Mbappe hat trick as Madrid open up a 4-point lead at the top of LaLiga 🔥

25/01/2025

Can someone remind this guy that City are the ones wearing light blue.

Nightmarish Premier League debut for the man from Uzbekistan 🤦‍♂️

25/01/2025

TODAY IN FOOTBALL HISTORY

25 January 2021

ON THIS DAY 4 years ago, Chelsea sacked Frank Lampard, the club legend leaving the club with the unenviable record of the worst Premier League points-per-game ratio of any manager under Roman Abramovich.

2 years later he would be back at the club in an interim capacity after the sack of Graham Potter.

25/01/2025

TODAY IN FOOTBALL HISTORY

25 January 2010

ON THIS DAY 15 years ago, Paraguayan striker Salvador Cabañas was shot in the head during a confrontation at a bar near Mexico City. Miraculously, he survived the shooting and continued to play football until 2014.

At the time, the 2007 South American Footballer of the Year was in his fourth season with Club América and had gotten off to a strong start, with 18 goals in 24 matches. He was enjoying a night out with friends and family at the Bar Bar nightclub when, at approximately 5:00 am, he was shot by José Balderas Garza, later identified as a Mexican drug lord. According to some witnesses, including Cabañas's wife, the assault began as a robbery, while others claimed the two men had been involved in a heated exchange of words.

He was rushed to the hospital and remained in intensive care until early February, with doctors saying his survival had defied overwhelming odds. His career, however, appeared to be over.
Then, in late 2011, he appeared in a testimonial match held in his honor between América and the Paraguayan national team.

He later signed a contract with his former club 12 de Octubre and another with Tanabe Esporte Club, but did not play in an official match for either team. In 2014, after a brief retirement, he joined Independiente FC of Pedro Juan Caballero, where he made four appearances before finally retiring for good.

25/01/2025

TODAY IN FOOTBALL HISTORY

25 January 2006

ON THIS DAY 19 years ago, Nemanja Vidić made his Man Utd debut in a 2-1 victory against Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford.

🏆 5 Premier League
🏆 5 Community Shield
🏆 3 League Cup
🏆 1 Champions League
🏆 1 Club World Cup

An absolute bargain at just £7m.

25/01/2025

TODAY IN FOOTBALL HISTORY

25 January 2004

ON THIS DAY 21 years ago, Hungarian and Benfica forward Miklós Fehér died after collapsing on the pitch in a match against Vitória de Guimarães. He was 24.

On that fateful day, Fehér was in Guimarães with Benfica to play against Vitória de Guimarães. The game was being broadcast live on television, and Benfica were leading 1–0. Fehér had just come on as a substitute and assisted another player just off the bench, Fernando Aguiar, for the match's only goal, but received a yellow card in injury time and suddenly bent forward, seemingly in pain; he then fell backwards to the ground.

Members of both teams rushed immediately to aid Fehér before medical personnel arrived on the pitch. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed, an ambulance arrived on the pitch and he was rushed to the hospital. His condition was covered by the Portuguese media throughout the day and, before midnight, his death was confirmed, the cause of death being cardiac arrhythmia brought on by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

In his memory Benfica retired the number 29 shirt, which he wore during his time at the club; he was remembered by many and his death caused a profound shock in Portuguese sports. Among others, Porto director of football Reinaldo Teles and manager José Mourinho paid their respects at the Estádio da Luz, where the player's body remained before his burial in his native Hungary.

Benfica's delegation, which included president Luís Filipe Vieira, coach Giovanni Trapattoni and the entire first-team squad, travelled to Hungary, presenting Fehér's parents with the 2004–05 league championship medal, in respect for the player and his time with the club.

On 9 October 2009, the day before their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Portugal in Lisbon, the Hungarian national team squad laid a wreath next to a metal bust of him at Benfica's homeground, in tribute to his memory.

25/01/2025

TODAY IN FOOTBALL HISTORY

25 January 1995

ON THIS DAY 30 years ago, Eric Cantona was involved in one of the most infamous incidents in Premier League history when he kung-fu kicked a Crystal Palace fan.

Since arriving at Old Trafford from Leeds in November 1992, Cantona had become a United favorite, helping them to the League title in his first two seasons, as well as being named the 1994 PFA Footballer of the Year. Unfortunately, he had also displayed a quick temper, once receiving two red cards in two successive matches.

In that match against Palace, both teams were scoreless early in the second half when Cantona was sent off in the 48th minute for kicking Palace defender Richard Shaw. As he was being escorted off the pitch, he suddenly turned and launched himself feet-first over the advertising hoardings into Palace supporter Matthew Simmons, who had been heaping verbal abuse on the Frenchman. Down to 10 men, United managed to take a 1-0 lead six minutes later, but could not prevent Palace from equalizing in the 79th minute to earn the draw.

Cantona was suspended for the rest of the season, sentenced to 120 hours of community service, and fined £10,000. Without him, United fell just short of winning another title, finishing one point behind League champions Blackburn Rovers.

For his part in the altercation, Simmons was jailed for 24 hours, fined £500, and given a one-year ban from all football grounds in England and Wales.

24/01/2025

TODAY IN FOOTBALL HISTORY

24 January 2021

ON THIS DAY 4 years ago, Four players and president of Brazilian club Palmas were killed in a plane crash. The accident occurred when the plane suddenly plunged to the ground at the end of the runway while on take-off.

The players were on their way to Goiania, in the central region of the country, to play a match against Vila Nova.

24/01/2025

TODAY IN FOOTBALL HISTORY

24 January 1976

ON THIS DAY 49 years ago, Kettering Town introduced shirt sponsorship to British football, with a mixed reception.

Shirt sponsorship originated with Uruguayan side Peñarol in the mid-1950s, expanding to France in the 1960s and Germany in the early 1970s. But no senior team in the UK tried it until Kettering's Southern Premier League match against Bath City. The idea came from Kettering Town player-manager (and chief executive) Derek Dougan, who had joined the club the previous year. He arranged a deal for local firm Kettering Tyres to sponsor their shirts in return for a four-figure deal, with their name in large letters across the front.

When the FA learned of the deal, they ordered the club to remove the sponsor. Dougan attempted to work around the order by shortening the sponsor to "Kettering T" and claiming that it stood for Kettering Town. The FA were unconvinced and issued another removal order, this time with the threat of a £1,000 fine for non-compliance.

By the following year, however, the FA capitulated and allowed shirt sponsorship across the board, with Hibernian becoming the first top-flight team in the UK to adopt the practice.

23/01/2025

Stephen Okechukwu Keshi remains the only West African to have won the African Cup of Nations as both a player (1994) and a coach (2013).

He would have turned 63 today.

23/01/2025

TODAY IN FOOTBALL HISTORY

23 January 2002

ON THIS DAY 23 years ago, José Mourinho took charge of Porto, where he would establish his reputation as the "Special One."

Just three days short of his 39th birthday at the time, Mourinho had already briefly managed Benfica (2000) and Leiria (2001-02), where his analytical approach to training and success on the pitch attracted the attention of Porto. They had been the league's most successful club throughout the 1990s with eight top-flight titles during the decade, but had fallen off a bit, finishing as runners-up in 2000 and 2001. By the time Mourinho arrived, they had slipped to fifth in the table after a loss to Boavista on 20 January.

In their first match under Mourinho, at home to Maritimo in the league on 26 January, Porto won 2-1, then followed that with five more wins out of their next six league matches to climb into third, which is where they finished the season.

In 2002-03, Mourinho's first full season at Porto, they reclaimed the league title and won the UEFA Cup with a 3-2 win over Celtic in the final, then repeated as league champions in 2004 while winning the Champions League over Monaco, 3-0.
That performance led to his move to Chelsea, where he earned the nickname The Special One after telling the English press "Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one."

He left Chelsea in 2007 and spent subsequent spells with Inter (2008-10), Real Madrid (2010-13), and Chelsea again (2013-15), Manchester United (2016-2018) then joined Tottenham in 2019.

He spent only 17 months at Tottenham before he getting sacked barely 1 week to a Carabao cup final in 2021. He has since Managed AS Roma(won the Europa Conference League there),left and currently is the Head Coach of Fenerbahçe SK, a Turkish club.

22/01/2025

An amateur footballer in Nigeria reached out to Sevilla on X in hope of getting a football trial.

Sevilla responded, promising him an opportunity if their reply reached 100,000 retweets.

The tweet has now far surpassed that target 😮

They really thought he wouldn’t get 100K retweets and they have sacked the admin that made the tweet and also they can’t fulfill the promise so they sent the Nigerian a link to apply for an U-19 tournament in Spains 8th league 😭



Is Sevilla aware there are over 100m active internet users in Nigeria?

This was a joke taken too far.

22/01/2025

One match to go. After the loss against PSG, Manchester City must now win against Club Brugge on the last match day.